BREAKING: Elias Takes Out World No.1 Asal To Win British Open

Peru’s Diego Elias has won his first GillenMarkets British Open title after taking down World No.1 and defending British Open champion Mostafa Asal of Egypt in a high-quality match at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

The pair, in a class of their own atop the PSA World Rankings following the shock retirement of former World No.1 Ali Farag on the eve of the tournament, went into the match having played 15 times on the Tour, with Asal enjoying a 9-5 record but Elias winning the last three matches.

Many of those with bad-tempered clashes, and a real rivalry has bubbled between them at the top of the rankings.

Elias had started the event relatively slowly, putting in a laboured performance against Gregoire Marche in the second round as he came from behind to defeat the Frenchman.

Since then, though, the Peruvian has built momentum, with his comprehensive 3-0 win over World No.3 Paul Coll in the semi-final underlining his improved form.

Asal, meanwhile, has looked consistent, with his mental fortitude helping him come from behind in a physical semi-final with British No.1 Joel Makin last night.

Elias started today’s match incredibly, with his hitting first rate as he cruised into the lead with a one-sided 11-4 win

After taking advice from his coach, English former World No.1 James Willstrop, Asal competed better in game two, moving better and hitting his lines to test Elias’ famous defence.

At 9-9, the game was there for the taking for both men.

To the roar of Elias’ fans, the Peruvian went on the hunt, hitting an inch-perfect cross-court nick followed by a fantastic effort to the back to move 2-0 up.

The Egyptian came charging out in game three, taking the first five points as the 24-year-old kept Elias guessing, eventually taking the game 11-4 to reduce the deficit.

At the beginning of game four, Asal slipped and fell heavily, requiring physio treatment to his knee.

After being applauded back to court, the Egyptian played out some high-quality rallies with Elias, who looked to test his movement where possible.

Asal’s movement looked laboured at times, but he was still able to exert pressure on Elias from the front of the court, forcing the Peruvian into desperate lunges towards the back.

Elias, however, was able to deal with the pressure and began racking up scoreboard pressure as he took a 6-1 lead.

Asal battled hard, but could not consistently find a way past Elias, and the World No.2 secured his first major title of the season since October’s Qatar Classic with an 11-4 victory.

“I don’t know what to say! This is crazy,” said an emotional Elias afterwards.

“The plans don’t always work but I’m happy I could win today. Here with my dad, just the two of us, winning a big tournament is amazing.

“Everything with South American squash started with Miguel [Rodriguez] – he won the British Open, he was the highest ranked South American and it showed us that we can do it. I’m just happy I could win today.

“Mostafa has played a lot of finals in a row and I knew mentally he was probably tired, and if I could win the first game and keep pushing I had a big chance. It feels good when people think I’m getting tired in the first game, if it shows I’m tired then it doesn’t mean I can push any more. I’m just happy I could prove everyone wrong.”

Result: GillenMarkets British Open Final

[2] Diego Elias (PER) bt [1] Mostafa Asal (EGY) 3-1: 11-4, 11-9, 3-11, 11-4 (54m)

The GillenMarkets British Open 2025 took place between May 31 – 8 June on SQUASHTV and select broadcast partners. The next event on the PSA Squash Tour calendar is the SmartCentres PSA Squash Tour Finals 2024-2025, which is taking place in Toronto, Canada from 23-27 June. Find out more on X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Threads, WhatsApp and LinkedIn.